DEARBORN: There’s a swirl of activity in a spacious, modern kitchen as final meal preparations are made. An older man tries to swipe a felafel off an appetizer plate but instead gets a loving hand slap from a woman. The happy, well-dressed guests move to a table full of food in a dining room adorned with Middle Eastern wall-hangings. It’s an inviting, if idealized, dinner party scene from any Arab-American home - at least that’s what the CIA seeks to convey in the first television commercial of its kind. The agency, in turn, hopes it’s an inviting message to US Arabs. “Your nation, your world,” a male voice says with a Middle Eastern accent, as the frame moves outside and pans out to show the party through a window of a gleaming, high-rise building. In seconds, the shot zooms out to an image of the US from space. “They’re worth protecting. “Careers in the CIA.” The commercial, which the agency plans to debut on mainstream and ethnic TV stations and Web sites nationwide within the next few months, represents artistic and technological leaps for the agency. Until now, its print, broadcast and Web advertising has focused on the variety of career options and the diversity among its ranks, but the agency hasn’t used a storytelling approach to sell its message. It’s part of an ambitious outreach effort to communities the CIA deems critical to reducing the threat of terrorism in the US. The agency has a five-year plan to boost fluency in Arabic and other languages. But resistance could come from US Arabs who have felt the sting of suspicion since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Many Arabs and Muslims have been dubious of the government’s intelligence gathering and believe spying is going on in mosques and other places. The CIA on Wednesday held a private screening of the commercial and another 30-second spot aimed at recruiting Iranian-Americans. Each drew applause from the group of about 40 people gathered for the viewing in Dearborn, in the heart of Michigan’s large Middle Eastern community. The ad’s soft-selling, storytelling approach emerged from focus groups and conversations with CIA employees of Middle Eastern heritage. The research revealed that Arab-Americans want to retain their ties to their homelands but embrace a sense of duty to the US. They stressed a desire to work in places where they can use their experiences and enjoy an exciting career.